EU diplomat Borrell apologizes for term “Greta syndrome”
The top European diplomat Josep Borrell today apologized for his derogatory remarks against young people who are campaigning against climate change. The 72-year-old Spaniard, who is the high representative of European foreign policy, also apologized for the use of the term “Greta syndrome”.
European Union Foreign policy Cheif Borrell this week asked whether young people who are taking to the streets to ask for more action against climate change are aware of the cost of their demands. And whether they are also willing to lower their standard of living, for example, to finance support for unemployed Polish miners.
“Greta syndrome”
“The idea that young people are seriously committed to stopping climate change – we could call this the “Greta Syndrome” (after Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, ed.) … Allow me to doubt that,” the message sounds. “It is nice to demonstrate against climate change,” Borrell said. But “as long as nobody asks you to pay for it,” he argued.
The entire European Commission distanced itself yesterday from the words of the Spaniard. The Commission has made the fight against climate change a spearhead of its policy, and with the Green Deal, it wants to make Europe a climate-neutral continent by 2050.
Borrell himself apologized today. “I want to apologize to anyone that may have felt offended by my inappropriate reference to the important youth movement fighting #climatechange,” the Spaniard said on Twitter. He already said yesterday that youth associations that fight against climate change are getting “full support”.
